STILL SHINING BRIGHT. TAKING ANOTHER LOOK AT STARLET

First launched in South Africa in 2020, the more modern, stiffer, lighter and niftier Toyota Starlet replaced the venerable Etios as its volume entry hatchback. A significant step ahead overall, Starlet got even better with the 2022 facelift. Its larger new 77 kW 138 Nm 1.5-litre K15B engine was another big step up on the old 1.4-litre lump.

An upgraded cabin also brought a fresh feel along with a 7-inch displays in the entry grades, and a 9-inch full-colour infotainment on the flagship XR. Featuring CarPlay, Auto, USB A and C ports and a 12V socket, it also came with standard auto climate, stability and hill control across the range. Last year, Toyota uprated Starlet to six front, side, and curtain airbags and upped the factory plan to four services and 60,000 km.

For the rest, why fix what’s not broken? Starlet is a Toyota, after all! It however plays in a minefield of a market niche, where several market rivals take turns to crow that they sold the most passenger cars in the past month. It’s a bloodbath. So Starlet really needs to be on its toes. And that, it is. So let’s take a closer look.

Stylish Starlet certainly looks the part for starters. At just off four meters long, it sits on a on a 2,520 mm wheelbase. Its handsome, broad a three-dimensional grille design and chrome brightwork complement Starlet’s bulbous if flowing lines. Step aboard to a quality feel two-tone cabin with swooping accent lines and multi-hued detailing. 

The infotainment does the job with good old tangible knobs and buttons and the dials and multi info display are easy to read. Some far cleverer cars can learn a trick or two from this humble model. The multifunction steering wheel has a sporty flat-bottom and there’s auto climate, power windows, retractable wing and an auto-dimming rear view mirrors.

Improved, supportive higher-grade cloth upholstered front pews get an adjustable centre armrest and there are multiple cup holders too. The spacious and people friendlier rear bench seat sits in front of a 314-litre boot. The 60-40 bench of course folds down to up carrying capacity to a handy kilolitre.

There’s remote central locking with smart entry and push to start. Add cruise control, rear parking sensors and a reversing camera. Safety and assistance ranges from dual front, side and curtain airbags to stability and hill control, ABS and EBD brakes, ISOFIX kid seat anchors and an alarm and an immobiliser too. 

Starlet rides on an evolved higher tensile steel-rich platform. Coil sprung damper suspension up front is complimented by a beefy rear torsion beam along with increased travel to deliver improved ride without compromising handling. Add 10 mm fatter 195/55/R16 tyres on fashionable face polished black alloys in the flagship XR.

Getting back to that friskier 77 kW 138 Nm 1.5-litre K15B engine. It delivers a decent balance of torque; revs freely and quite literally sips petrol.  At just 955 kg the Starlet is also a tenth lighter than most competitors to deliver a best in class 81 kW per tonne power to weight ratio. ‘To improve both performance and fuel consumption’.

Toyota promised that the Starlet XR automatic would sprint to 100 km/h in 11.2 seconds and rush on to 160 km/h. Well, our tests revealed 0-100 km/h in closer to 10.4 seconds. It happily did 160 km/h too. So top end must also be a fair bit quicker than that claim. It’s a feisty, truth be told. And we also bettered the claimed 5.7 l/100 km.

Look, that auto box is dated and fourth gear is a bit long. But it works just fine and is far more satisfying, even quite fun to drive versus any droning CVT rival. Never mind, quiet and plush at speed, compared to the rest. 

Speaking of which, Starlet operates in a frightfully competitive market niche. Costing up to R339K for the 1.5 XR automatic, Toyota sells between 900 and 1200 of these, every month. Rivals include the VW Polo Vivo, Chery’s albeit SUV Tiggo 4s, the Suzuk Swift and Baleno and the Hyundai Grand i10, among others. Some may be a touch cheaper. Maybe they sell a one or two others more every month.

But then the Starlet is a Toyota. In South Africa. And that alone means far, far more than anything anyone else can offer. See, first and foremost Toyota knows precisely what South Africans need in a car. And Toyota gives the market, and the new car owner what he or she needs, first.  

Which is why Toyota has been the country’s leading carmaker since the cows came home. And why it will remain so for a hell of a long time to come, too. So knowing that this Starlet looks the part, inside and out, is better equipped, smarter and more upmarket, lighter, more powerful, quicker, better handling and more frugal than ever, only adds to the fact that it’s a new Toyota. 

Need any more help in choosing that next entry hatchback? Thought not! – Michele Lupini